Erica Jurus's Blog, page 13

Hot tips from my first Book Launch Party

Me (in the hat and dark blue jacket) and my fantastic emcee talking to the audience Photo by Cassandra Capacchione, all rights reserved by E. Jurus as event host.

My launch party was a mixture of greatness and controlled chaos. I’ll explain that.

I’ve done a lot of event planning in my time, and had every detail worked out, on a substantial spreadsheet — or so I thought. Actually, all my planning went…well, as planned Where I lost some control was in the enthusiasm of my helpers. Couldn’t have done it without them, but for the next launch I’ll have to come up with a system — maybe lists of tasks for each of them.

Running a book launch is impossible without a great crew of helpers. I should have allotted more time for the set up and take down, though, even though it would have added to the venue rental price. More time = less chaos, though.

This was the late Sydney Burciul’s favourite view. Photo by E. Jurus, all rights reserved.

My venue was ideal for the occasion: the event wing at Heartland Forest Nature Preserve. Since much of Book 1 takes place in forested areas, the setting was perfect. The back story of the Preserve was important to my hubby and I, and touched a lot of attendees as well, and since my protagonist has a disability, the creation of the Preserve for a disabled girl added even greater resonance. In addition, a few people did enjoy walking around the property after the event (since the mosquitoes were out, I offered complimentary insect repellent, gentle enough for children as well).

The room was great — plenty of light, lots of plugs for all my equipment (lighting for the photo booth; electricity for the slide show that contained the travel trivia contest I ran to win a gift basket, for my Square reader and receipt printer, for my laptop with my music playlist, and for the coffee-maker and hot-water urn on the refreshment table), plenty of tables and chairs to use (we set them all up ourselves). I had enough light over my left shoulder to be able to sign books.

I bought myself a beautiful feather pen to use for signing — it fit the theme of the books and a lot of people thought it was cool. Did make a bit of a mess on my hands from dipping the nib into the bottle of ink, but it was great fun to use. Photo by Cassandra Capacchione, all rights reserved by E. Jurus as event host.

Here’s how the event proceeded:

I allowed attendees 10 minutes to arrive before we began the official program. That also gave me time to greet a few of them, but my hubby was on hand as my greeter.My emcee, Charmaine, welcomed everyone and introduce me officially, then conducted an interview with me based on some pre-arranged questions I’d provided her beforehand.After the interview, the audience was invited to ask questions.Following that, I gave a short address to the audience as well as a roughly 10-minute reading from the book. After that, I moved to my author table to sign books that attendees purchased. I had 2 great helpers (and friends), Patti and Debbie, to hand out swag bags and process the payments. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my Square reader to connect, so it was cash only, but I made that as easy as possible by selling copies for $20, which is the denomination that all our ATMs invariably dispense.While that was going on, people could have their photo taken at the photo booth, enjoy refreshments (trays of small sandwiches, charcuterie and pastries), and participate in the travel photo contest if they chose. At 10 minutes before wrap-up, which worked out well because all the signings were done by then, I went through the contest ballots and marked the winner, which I announced to close out the proceedings along with thanks and an invitation to walk the forest.I had some fun with my signing table display, including a custom book rack that my hubby made for me, an atmospheric lantern, and a beautiful flower arrangement. Photo by Cassandra Capacchione, all rights reserved by E. Jurus as event host.Decorations on the refreshment table came from the book (actual or in spirit): the letter that protagonist Romy receives from the president of a remote college offering her a job; a lighted gargoyle (gargoyle figures all over Tempus College campus); a globe to symbolize both Romy’s travels in as she tries to figure out what’s going on, and also representing the adventure theme of the event. Photo by Cassandra Capacchione, all rights reserved by E. Jurus as event host.

Best things I did:

Invite a friend who’s a professional speaker to be my emcee. We met while we were both members of Toastmasters International, and I knew she’d do a great job. Attendees all commented on how smoothly everything ran, a testament to both Charmaine’s skill and the meticulous planning notes I shared with her in advance.Hire a pro photographer to take pix at the event I brought my own very good camera, but had absolutely no time time to take any photos myself, and of course I needed her to take photos throughout the event and of me doing my stuff. Recruit friends, and some family, to help. There’s a fair amount of work in setting up a successful book launch, and you’re going to need a team. It was especially critical at the signing table — the line-up to buy a book formed fast and furiously, and the whole thing wouldn’t have gone nearly as well without my helpers.

Things I’d do differently next time:

Definitely build in more time before the event start to get things set up without running around madly and after the wrap-up for a more controlled dismantling.Make sure I had my Square reader running smoothly. Everything was set up in terms of the banking and software aspects, but for whatever reason I couldn’t get it to connect at the event. Luckily everyone who bought a book had cash or gave me a cheque.Leave more time to get my books printed and shipped. Amazon made a hash of the printing (incorrect formatting and typesetting), and the delivery driver dumped the shipping boxes on our driveway in such a way that some of the books were actually damaged. I relayed that information to Amazon, and they said they couldn’t do anything unless I returned all the copies. This would have left me without any copies to sell at the Launch, and as the books were still readable, I chose to go ahead and use them, with a disclaimer and a special price (below my cost). Getting good printed copies from Amazon takes several weeks, so for anyone holding a book launch in the future, leave yourself plenty of time to make sure the uploaded files are error-free (Amazon printed the older, uncorrected file), and to have at least 2 weeks for printing and shipping.

That’s all I’m including in this post, as WordPress is giving me so many headaches I’m very close to changing platforms. More to come in a future post. All in all the Launch Party was a success, and I owe much to everyone who helped out, and everyone who so generously bought one or more books (for themselves and others they wanted to give one to).

Photo by Cassandra Capacchione, all rights reserved by E. Jurus as event host.

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News items for budding authors

The inside of one of our tents on safari in Botswana. Photo by E. Jurus, all rights reserved.

A couple of news items this week:

July Camp NaNoWriMo is starting soon

One of NaNoWriMo’s (National Novel Writing Month) less formal events. As they describe it, “…you’ll have plenty of fun honing your writing skills  alongside thousands of other participants cheering you on. During Camp NaNoWriMo, you can map out your own writing adventure, novel or not. Whether it’s the classic 50,000 word novel, a screenwriting project, a memoir, or even just a promise to write every day, the goal is completely yours to customize! Whatever you’re working on, Camp NaNoWriMo is for you!” If you”d like to get your feet wet, but the thought of the November 50,000-word marathon is too intimidating at the moment, the July camp might be a good way to start planning your project without jumping all the way in the lake. Maybe even try writing some of it — you only get good by writing repeatedly. Find out more on their website.

Fictionary is participating in the “Write, Publish, Profit Super Stack“

Fictionary is Developmental Editing Software for Authors, “for creative writers looking to improve the plot, characters, and settings of their stories”. I haven’t used it myself, as it didn’t work so well with my browser, Firefox, although their Support Desk thought they could iron out the issues (unfortunately my goal was to enter one of their great contests, but my book turned out to be too large and the point became moot). However, they do have some excellent resources on their site, a variety of good webinars, and are now offering their software in a bundle that includes three months of Fictionary StoryTeller, three months of Fictionary Live! and 35+ books, courses, and software for just $49, which from what I’ve read is a great price for everything that’s included. If you’re interested, check out the details on their site, but do so quickly as the deal is only on until June 27th at 11:59pm PST.

Please note that I don’t run an affiliate site and have no financial incentive to bring you news items or resources of interest.

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Questions I’ve been getting

Seating along the Cootes Paradise Marsh Walk trail at Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton

I’ve been getting a lot of interesting questions since the publication of my book, so I thought I’d post and answer a few today. Pull up a chair, make a cup of tea and enjoy

Where do/did you get the idea for your story?

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this site, my original idea germinated from the lure of all the roads we didn’t take on my childhood family vacations. On the way to our destination, my dad would be driving past all kinds of exits to unknown, and therefore mysterious and intriguing, places in our province, and I would have happily cheered him on for any detour he might want to make. Over the years, through many travels with my hubby, I’ve never lost my fascination with what might be around the next bend in the road. Eventually, as I got into reading urban fantasy, I began to ponder about what if there were Roads that would take you places not on a normal map — into other dimensions, for example. Roger Zelazny’s first Amber novel, Nine Princes in Amber, was an early influence for the concept.

From that seed of an idea, you begin to think about “what if…” — what if a person who had no idea that these alternative roads existed suddenly stumbled upon them? And how would that ‘world’ look like for these roads to exist in? I love origin stories, so when it came to writing mine, the plotting of the novel revolved around all the logical steps in my protagonist’s journey: she tumbles into this supernatural world, tries to figure out what the hell’s going on, runs into people who may or may not have her best interests at heart, determines who to trust, and then handles all the kinks that crop up.

How do you keep track of all your ideas?

A massive Excel spreadsheet that contains plot details for every chapter, for each book in the trilogy that I’m writing, for the characters and places, historical and mythological elements, etc. (backed up religiously!). There are all kinds of software programs available for writers that will keep track of things for you, but I haven’t tried them and so can’t comment. I’ve been using spreadsheets for a couple of decades and like the format; it seems to suit my extremely detail-oriented brain. Keeping track of these details is critical for a series so that you don’t mess things up or drop the ball from one book to the next; writing a stand-alone novel would have been easier in that respect, but that’s not how this story wanted to be told.

How do you put together an entire book, not to mention three of them?

Well, I knew from the outset where the story was going to begin and end, both overall as well as for each book in the trilogy, so that was my guiding light, so to speak. I think it’s fun when my characters surprise me along the way, but I feel it’s critical to know ultimately where their journey will take them. Every decision they make along the way needs to move them toward that finale, and even detours along the way have to make sense in the timeline. So as I plotted out what was going to happen on the journey, I had to keep true to the climax of the book, and the series. There were ideas I considered and sometimes tossed out because they were too tangential, or wouldn’t have added value to the story. I gave a lot of very careful thought to what went into each scene and chapter before I wrote them, and didn’t end up stripping anything in the editing process, just tightened the pace to make the book flow better.

Beyond that, I think it’s a matter of a story that wants to be told, that haunts your thoughts until finally you have to get it out onto ‘paper’. There’s certainly some discipline and dedication involved in pressing on until you’re finally able to type “The End”, which is thrilling every time — it’s the first pay-off for all the hard work you’ve just put in. Then you step away from the book for a while, go back to it in a month or so with rested eyes, make some edits, and send it out to Beta Readers to get outside eyes on it. Their feedback is critical, whether you act on all of it or not, because it gives you a cross-section of how different readers are going to react to your story.

What will you do when the trilogy is finished?

I was wondering that myself, as the novels have been such a big part of my life for the past three years, and I’ve been delightfully surprised that people have asked me to keep writing more novels in my same imaginary ‘world’ (or is it all imaginary?). So I’ve been adding notes to my voluminous spreadsheet re stories about other characters you’ll already have met through the trilogy. One novel will definitely be horror, called The Summer Door. Others to be determined

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On hiatus this week

Sorry folks, I’m on hiatus this week due to a medical issue. Hope to resume next week

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The clandestine activities of ghostwriters

My book launch party for Through the Monster-glass, available now in both ebook and paperback, went very well this past weekend, despite printing glitches. I need time to decompress from that experience, though, and will share more about it in a future post.

In the meantime, I read a fascinating article written about his own experience by Prince Harry’s ghostwriter, J. R. Moehringer. He wrote Spare, a book that’s become one of the most notorious tomes in literary history for its revealing content about a controversial institution in our modern world.

Who’d ever want to become a ghostwriter? After reading the article, I’m still not sure.

Ghostwriters basically write books, speeches or other literary pieces (and music as well) on behalf of someone else, but they rarely get credit for it. Their job is to disappear – on the page and in real life. On that basis it seems like a strange profession to me, but plenty of people do it, and make very good money at it. Apparently the ghostwriter for Hilary Clinton’s memoir(s) was paid $500,000!

I think ghostwriters of non-fiction, particularly memoirs ‘written’ by celebrities of one kind or another, are the most well-known type. Nelson Mandela’s autobiography was ghost-written, even though he spoke eloquently enough, as was Donald Trump’s (no surprise there, the man can’t even get the names of countries right).

The degree to which ghostwriters are involved in the finished project varies, from polishing a rough draft to writing the entire book based on lengthy research and sessions with the subject of the book, as was the case with Moehringer. Prince Harry had very defined input into the telling of his own story, however, and Moehringer got to know the prince and his immediate family very well – including an eye-opening look into the media’s feeding frenzy around every aspect of Harry’s life.

And perhaps that’s part of the appeal of ghostwriting: the up-close-and-personal work with a celebrity and what you get to know about them. Still, as you’ll read in Moehringer’s illuminating article, it isn’t an easy job, and it seems like many writers don’t get treated very well.

There are writers who’ve ghosted in fiction as well, which makes even less sense to me. If I feel that I’m a good writer and craftsman, why on earth would I let someone else take the credit for my words?

Sometimes publishers bring on ghostwriters to boost the number of books by a well-known author, i.e. more than said author could put out themselves. That bothers me on so many levels, especially the pressure on a traditionally-published author to continually churn out books and the duping of readers who assume they’re consuming authentic works, all for the sake of making the publishers more money. I can’t envision a time when I become so famous and so jaded a writer that I’d let other people start writing my stuff.

When famous authors pass away, sometimes their publishers or estates will hire a ghostwriter to continue putting out novels in their name, as has been the case with gothic novelist V.C. Andrews. I suppose that’s fair enough, under the circumstances, but still decidedly inauthentic. Still, on one of my favourite series ever, Castle, the title character gets very excited when his agent tells him he’s on the verge of being tapped to write novels about a certain super-spy who inspired his own writing journey – but that’s more like an homage, isn’t it?

Ghostwriting seems like a challenging profession to me, much less fun than what I and thousands of other fiction writers get to do, which is make stuff up for a living. However, I give all due credit to the patience, fortitude and dedication of the many ghostwriters out there. If the idea intrigues you, you can find out more information on these two sites: How to Become a Ghostwriter, by NY Book Editors, and How to Become a Ghostwriter in 8 Steps (Pro-Level Advice), on the Reedsy Blog.

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Down to the wire!

Today my hubby and I checked out the venue for my launch party on Sunday, mainly to see what type of coffee machine they’d be letting us use (because good hot coffee, and tea, are critical!).

Mosquitoes are out and I’ve posted warnings for guests who want to stroll the forest afterward to bring insect repellent (hubby and I got a number of bites in our explorer capacity.)

We also planned the layout for

the sign-in table, with Guest Book & pensthe refreshments table (near some outlets)the book-signing table (if I can get Amazon to expedite the shipping – still working that out – so my 50 author copies arrive on time)the table where my laptop will sit playing my Book Launch music playlistthe table where his laptop will run a PowerPoint through our small projector for a ‘Where in the World is the Author?’ contest. The prize basket will include (hopefully) a signed copy of my book in softcover, and all the ‘fixins’ for a reading session with a cup of tea: a custom-designed mug with my marketing logo, a box of my favourite tea (Rocky Mountain Blend from Murchie’s Tea in Victoria, B.C.), a box of Murchie’s scone mix, a jar of fig preserve and 2 pots of crème fraiche (a very acceptable and delicious substitute for clotted cream,)

Uploading the book in electronic form to Kindle Direct Publishing and to Kobo was fairly easy, apart from changing all my draft formatting to match their requirements and writing an About the Author page (much harder than you’d think). (For books 2 and 3 I’ll have the manuscripts in the correct format well ahead of time!)

It felt very strange, and thrilling, to see my baby on a Kindle preview screen, as in ‘wow, I’ve joined the ranks of thousands of other authors on Kindle’.

The next step, and the most challenging, was to get everything set up for the printed edition. I designed the cover (front, back and spine) by myself, since I used to be a graphic designer, but it’s not something I’d necessarily recommend to anyone without that background. To create the design, I checked out current trends and a lot of other covers. KDP has a ‘Create a Cover’ feature, but it’s limited. Just fyi, I used Canva pro edition to produce all my designs.

Before that stage, though, I had to produce detailed maps of two locations in the novel – the (fictional) small town of Llithfaen in the wilds of Ontario where the bulk of the action takes place, and the campus of the local college where my protagonist, Romy Ussher, accepts a new job. My beta readers requested maps so they could visualize those places better, and I was happy to comply. However, my original versions of the maps, roughly delineated in PowerPoint when I first began writing Book 1 so that I could make sure everything was consistent, weren’t nearly nice enough to put in the actual book, so I bought a software program called Campaign Cartographer through ProFantasy. (Actually, I bought the Top Three bundle, and did use all three components.)

Campaign Cartographer isn’t for the faint-hearted, though. It’s actually a CAD program (‘computer assisted design’), and functions very differently than any graphic design software I’ve ever used. Perseverance, a great deal of patience and some tutorials on YouTube paid off, and you can see the results on my website

So, my hubby and I are ready to put together the swag bags – custom-designed Roads bookmarks (which you can see on my Facebook page), a recipe card for a dish that appears early on in Book 1 (my books are full of food, and tea), two bags of my favourite tea (see list above), 2 pouches of mini Kit Kat bars (my favourite snack food when I’m actually on a road trip), and a gift certificate for a free Backgammon lesson (my protagonist Romy is a killer Backgammon player, and I taught her everything she knows!). I have three sizes of black plastic bags with “Thank you” in gold lettering, purchased from Amazon, ready to be stuffed, but I need to know whether my Author Copies of my novel will arrive in time to know which size of bag to use. (As far as I know, nearly everyone who’s coming to the launch wants a hard copy of the book.) Cross your fingers and send me good Amazon delivery vibes!

We have a pretty cool backdrop set up for a photo booth, and a pro photographer to take photos who also took my personal photos that you’ll see here on my website, my Amazon site, Facebook and Goodreads site. She’s amazing – managed to make me look good, and I’m NOT photogenic. She operates in southwestern Ontario in the Windsor area, so if you want her contact info let me know )

Platters of sandwich bites and sweets have been ordered, and a floral arrangement for my signing table. I have most of the other supplies; just need to buy coffee, cream, juice and water.

I tell you, it’s a good thing I learned all about event planning in my jobs at our own local college, or organizing all this would be complete insanity.

Sometimes it feels like it is anyway. There’s a lot more that’s gone into this than I’ve posted today – if any other authors getting ready to publish are interested, let me know and I’ll outline the entire process.

So wish me luck. I’ll be taking photos at the event and will post them afterward to let you know how it went!

Pre-book launch craziness

The wrestling match with my “About the Author” blurb and with KDP’s (Kindle Direct Publishing) Kindle Create software to get my e-book formatted correctly are over, and the book will be available for pre-order soon, I’m very happy to finally say! Next will be the printable version; wish me luck. By Book 2 I should have the whole thing mastered Thank goodness for nature strolls through Heartland Forest (sprinkled with wildflowers such as those in the photo above), the venue for the book launch party and inspiration for the Grey Marsh in the novel, to keep me sane lol

The forest is looking quite magical at the moment, with ethereal greenery popping up all over, and it makes a lovely, serene place to decompress. The photo below shows a fallen tree including much of its root base — can’t imagine the force that tore it out. Could be an idea for something in Book 2 or 3

Anyway, the big launch day is next Sunday, May 28th, so stay tuned for more updates next week!

Cherry blossoms, lilacs and a new Facebook page!

Ornamental cherry trees in bloom, finally, in Niagara – photo by me, all rights reserved. E. Jurus

After a few chilly, rainy weeks, it’s undeniably spring in southern Ontario! The ornamental cherries, just tight little buds last week, have opened up into magnificent blossoms after a little warmer weather.

The lilacs at the Centennial Lilac Garden in Niagara Falls have also burst into blossom, drenching visitors in their wonderful scent.

photo by me, all rights reserved. E. Jurus

Along with fragrant flowers, if you’re not already aware of it, please check out my new Facebook author page. It debuted a couple of weeks ago, and has all kinds of good things, including a look at my collection of bookmarks, which will be available as printables in the coming weeks. Tomorrow, you can have a sneak peek at the Book Cover for my new novel, Through the Monster-glass, which will be released to the public on May 28th! Don’t miss it!

Cheers,
Erica

Local orchards are looking spectacular in the spring sunshine. photo by me, all rights reserved. E. Jurus

Code like a Victorian

The Canada Gate in London, England, presented to the city by Canada in 1911 for a memorial to Queen Victoria – photo by E. Jurus, all rights reserved.

Where did criminals, blackmailers, jilted or illicit lovers post their coded messages in Victorian England? Why, in the Agony Column, aka Personal Ads, of the venerable The Times newspaper.

Without any censorship or disclosure of the identity of the ad-placer, and widely read by everyone, including the Queen, the column was ripe for intrigue from all directions.

Since The Times, born in 1785, was a daily paper, message senders and receivers could exchange information in pretty short order, and readers following the paper trail could see how things played out, even if they didn’t know who the participants actually were. As the ‘names’ were often in the form of initials – “H.K.”, “A.G.”, etc. – if readers knew someone by those initials I’m sure there was rampant speculation. Many messages, such as legal claims, were straightforward, but the messages that were veiled in mystery usually contained a clue that would be recognizable to the recipient.

The column got its name from the misfortunes that its submissions contained, but it evolved into a public bulletin board of sorts, and became so popular among readers that it was moved to the front cover, second only to marriages, deaths and shipping information. As interest grew, readers even began trying to decipher the codes.

Today the Agony Column has transformed into an advice column, in the form of ‘letters’ written to people like Ann Landers, Dear Abby and Miss Manners for help with a problem – no less filled with drama, but presumably less criminality. We’re still fascinated by what goes on in others’ lives, and often as intrigued by the answers/solutions that the Agony Aunts provide. One of my favourite quotes by Ann Landers: “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.“

An exhibit by the McGill University Library called “News and Novel Sensations” ran from January 10 to April 4 this year, highlighting the development and antics of Victorian newspapers. But even though the exhibit has ended, you can still explore the many resources posted online, including hundreds of actual Agony Column postings of the time period. Just a heads-up, though, if you decide to look them up: the  postings were scraped by web bots and don’t always make a lot of sense (depending on the quality of the archived copies). They do make interesting reading, if you have the time. Here’s a sampling:

A teaser if I ever heard one:
“IF ANN GIBBONS, wife of Peter O’Donnell, and her sister, will COMMUNICATE with their sister Sabina Walters, they will HEAR SOMETHING to their ADVANTAGE.” (The phrase “hear something to their advantage” was used in a lot of ads.)

This sounds like fun!:
“ROYAL SURREY GARDENS, open at 3, 1s., daily. Sax-horn Promenade Bands—Al Fresco Amusements— Comic and Fairy Ballet—Burman, the Star Wizard—Boats on the Great Lake—Dancing on the Mammoth Platform—Band of 40 Performers. N.B. Ohlo Minstrels every evening at 7; also Tableaux Vivents. The entrance fee of 1s, includes every amusement. Open Sunday from 5 till 11 ; admission by refreshment ticket.”

Very mysterious:
“TO H. T. The generous GIFT of £5 has been safely and gratefully RECEIVED, with deep and heartfelt thanks.”

Still goes on today:
“TO DRUGGISTS, &c. — OPIUM STOLEN.— INFORMATION of this ARTICLE having been OFFERED for SALE, under suspicious circumstances, will be acknowledged if kindly addressed to Mr. Superintendent Steed, H Division of the Metropolitan Police.”

Saucy names for a couple of perfumes :
“STOLEN KISSES.—Caution.—Whereas PIESSE and LUBIN have a COPYRIGHT in the above NAME of their NEW PERFUME, also in their sequel, “Box his Ears” legal proceedings will be at once taken against any persons counterfeiting the same, or copying the names and title so ss to mislead purchasers. FRANCIS CHARLES PIESSE, Solicitor, Camberwell.”

I’d hire him:
“VENTRILOQUISM and MAGIC. —Professor SINCLAIR, who gave so much satisfaction this year at the Crystal Palace; will feel happy to ATTEND PRIVATE PARTIES. All communications will be punctually attended to.”

Religious condemnation/incentive:
“J. will forgive if you return now. Your sisters know nothing yet. Return, and be saved—it is not too late.”

Lots of these types of notices. Apparently Brits of the times couldn’t hold on to their pets:
“LOST, on Saturday last, at Deptford, a small BLACK and TAN TERRIER DOG, with leather collar mounted in silver. A handsome REWARD will be given if returned to the Sydney Arms, Lewisham-road, Greenwich.”

There’s such a thing as a Pomeranian Wolf Dog? Can’t imagine that conjugal visit:
“TWO POUNDS REWARD.—LOST, on the 27th, t 12 o’clock, at the Elephant and Castle, a POMERANIAN WOLF DOG—Lou-lou—fawn and white; small white triangle on head, teeth yellow. No further reward will be offered.—R. B., Marston house, Park-crescent, Stockwell, S.” (Turns out there is such a doggie!)

What has George been up to?:
“GEORGE,—Reflect! RETURN at once. Your absence is known but to few, and your immediate return will spare the necessity of communicating it to others.”

Sounds like a case for Sherlock Holmes:
“SCOTT.—A YOUNG FEMALE was brought to the Central Home of the London Female Preventive and Reformatory Institution on the 27th inst., giving the name of F. H. SCOTT. She is about 19 years of age, fair complexion, height about 5 feet 6 in. dressed in a light muslin dress, black straw hat with feather, and black siik mantle. She has evidently been brought up in good society, and received the rudiments of a superior education; but the accounts she gives of herself are so contradictory that it is thought she may have LEFT her BOME or SCHOOL under unpleasant circumstances. Applications to Mr. E. W. Thomas, Secretary 200, Euston-road, N.W.”

No emotional blackmail here whatsoever:
“SHOULD this MEET the EYE of J—M.—R, for the sake of your dying mother, RETURN or WRITE. G—Y.”

Alas, the course of true love…
“F.—The LETTER you left breaks my heart. One word spoken would have changed all. Have mercy, and come back to us. Nothing can ever alter the love which has entirely returned, and which implores you to forgive as you are forgiven.—H.”

If there was time to see this much detail, couldn’t the owner have given chase?
“FIVE POUNDS REWARD.—MISSING, a YOUNG MAN, not quite 17 years old, looks older, 5ft. 8 or 9 high, of very dark complexion, hair, and eyes, pale thin face, long straight nose, having a slight seam on his forehead from a cut; dressed in a dark blue jacket with pockets, dark mixed waistcoat, and trousers torn in the leg, laced boots, unbleached cotton socks, and lavender striped cotton shirt, low round crowned hat. Was seen to leave the London bridge Station from the country, from the North Kent line, on Friday afternoon, between 4 and 5 o’clock, having in his arms a very rough light brown dog, of the Scotch terrier breed, answers to the name of “Fergus.” Any one giving such information as will lead to his recovery shall receive the above reward. Address A. B., 9, Eastcheap.”

Yikes – someone’s going to be in trouble:
“BLACK LEATHER BAG, containing official papers. Whoever will take the same to Mr. Ingram, news agent, 9, Parliament-street, S.W., shall receive the above reward. ON the 9th of September, a CARPET BAG, containing articles of considerable value, was STOLEN at Berlin, It had on one side coloured marks embroidered on a ground of black wool, on the other, in a light blue field, the letters E. M.; and, besides articles for the dressing-case and travelling necessaries, contained, among others, 17 shares of the Franco-Austrian Government Railway at 5001s., Nos. 24500, 24838, 18956, 9793, 112706, 112708, 276341, 297522, 276328, 277500, 118838, 92630, 90001, 92629, 118840, 118841, 172114; moreover, four bonds of the Debito Publico del Regno d’Italia (Italian rent), among which two at 500f., No. 1, 406396 of the 5th of October, 1866, and No. 502993 of the 30th August, 1862, in a pasteboard-box, together with other objects; two pieces of money with the portrait stamp of the Pope (2f. and 20f.), and an English half-crown; and in a green linen bag 150 Napoleons d’or. Those to whom these articles may be offered are cautioned against purchasing them, and begged to inform instantly Mr. Emil Brachvogel, rechtsanwalt (attorney), at(…)”

Hopefully Dear One can make sense of this:
“DEAR ONE.—Your last received safely. Many thanks. Cannot hear anything of the other. They want to take it up. Would this be wise? Have put the other matter in hand. Look next week. All’s well.—Yours ever,” (no name scraped)

Someone’s been naughty:
“FIFTY POUNDS REWARD.—Whereas a WARRANT was, on the 6th March, 1869, granted by the Lord Mayor of the city of London, at the Mansion-house Justice Room, for the APPREHENSION of SAMUEL JOHN SHRUBB, Manager and Secretary of the Hercules Insurance Company (Limited), of 33, Poultry, city, lately residing at Saint Alban’s, Herts, for publishing a false prospectus of the said Company with intent to defraud the members thereof; and whereas the said Samuel John Shrubb has absconded, The above reward will be paid upon the apprehension and conviction of the said Samuel John Shrubb. Information to be furnished to Messrs. Lewis and Lewis, 10, Ely-place, Holborn, solicitors for the prosecution; and Inspector Bayly, detective office, Old Jewry, city.”

Fraud is an age-old game:
“CAUTION.—In consequence of frequent misrepresentations, E. MOSES and SON, merchant tailors, outfitters, &c., find it necessary to state that they do not employ any travellers or agents, and that their only establishments are the undermentioned:— London Houses. Corner of Minories and Aldgate. New Oxford-street, corner of Hart-street. Corner of Tottenham-court-road and Euston-road. Country Branch, Bradford, Yorkshire.”

Well, if that’s all:
“LOVEY.—I find it Now impossible to carry out our intentions. Ruin and starvation would be the result.”

Plenty of adverts for private investigators:
“PRIVATE INQUIRY OFFICE, 2, Southampton¬ buildings, Holborn.—Mr. BENTLEY (late Sheriff’s officer), having had 20 years’ experience, undertakes inquiries of all kinds requiring secrecy and despatch, especially for the Divorce Court.”

One of the earliest, and eventually best-known private detectives in Britain, sometimes referred to as the ‘real Sherlock Holmes’, was a man named Ignatius Pollaky. Exiled from his home country of Hungary, he started an agency in Britain, Pollaky’s Private Inquiry Office. He must have known his stuff, because one of his first commissions was to spy on Confederate agents in Britain who were obtaining supplies for the U.S. Civil War. He often advertised in The Times, offering his assistance in “election, divorce and libel cases” or “discreet enquiries in England or abroad”. He also often inserted messages in the “Agony” columns related to his cases; here’s a typical example illustrating his powers of observation:

“MYSTERIOUSLY MISSING, since Thursday, October 1st, when he left England en route for the continent, an ENGLISH NOBLEMAN, 64 years of age, but looks younger, tall and of aristocratic appearance, sallow complexion, gray whiskers and moustache, thin iron gray hair, bald on crown of the head, good teeth, the two front ones widely apart. Supposed to have departed in company with a French lady, about 28 years of age. Information to Mr. Pollaky, Private Inquiry-office, 13, Paddington-green.”

Note the age of the nobleman and his disappearance with a much younger foreign woman – by the sounds of things, some hanky-panky going on, or something nefarious. I was also entertained by Pollaky’s description of the missing man’s “good teeth”, even though the two front teeth had a big space between – clearly those were distinctive features.

Also in the website’s resources you’ll find a game that allows you to play amateur detective and decode a series of messages, Pollaky’s Agonizing Adventure: Solve a mystery in the Agony Column! It’s fun to play and gives an interesting look at codes and decoders of the era.

Screenshot of entry to the game, from https://libraryponders.github.io/game.html

One final cool resource is the site’s Vibecheck, where you can look up the vocabulary typical of the time period. If you’re a writer keen in setting your novel in the Victorian Era, this resource will be invaluable in helping you get the appropriate period nuances. I tested out the word “doubtful”, and you can see the result below.

The many actual Agony Column postings – at least the ones you can make heads or tails of – also contain plenty of material for either a Victorian romance or mystery. You’ll be in good company: the great Sherlock Holmes himself made good use of them, referring to them as “surely the most valuable hunting ground that was ever given to a student of the unusual” (from The Adventure of the Red Circle).

Great webinar for budding authors

A quick post to share a terrific opportunity for anyone interested in writing a book. Reedsy is an online organization that offers editing, designing and other services for authors, but they also have a fabulous blog with an enormous amount of information for writers at any stage of their journey, as well as excellent free webinars and online courses, and much more.

The next one, airing live on Wednesday 26th April (at 3 pm New York/Noon Pacific/8 pm London/12.30 am Delhi/ 3 am Hong Kong/5 am Sydney), is on how to get your first draft done without getting in your own way. The description from Reedsy is “Bestselling Author S J Watson shows you how to shut out your inner editor and get your first draft finished.” The session will include things like (quoted from their site):

Why it’s important to separate the two stages of the processHow to give yourself permission to write badlyHow to listen to what the work is telling you and techniques for staying flexible

I’ve watched many Reedsy webinars and they’ve all been full of great information, so I encourage you to sit in on this one. If you can’t attend live, register anyway as they usually send a link to watch after the fact. Registration is free through Eventbrite.

Having written each draft of my three books in just such a way, I can attest to how well it works. It’s more important to get your words out of your head and onto ‘paper’, then worry about editing after that. After all, the story can’t be read by anyone if it only ever stays in your imagination, right? And all first drafts are rough — every famous book you’ve ever read started out that way, then got polished in subsequent edits.

If you need additional convincing, watch this webinar and get inspired. Wishing you happy writing!

Photo of budding cherry blossoms by me and all rights reserved. E. Jurus